Out of the Fire
by s3ctumsempra
Summary: During the Battle of Hogwarts Hermione meets Draco and he intends to torture her. He didn't anticipate how hard it would be for him. When they meet again some five years later, Hermione tries to ignore Draco. But what if he doesn't want to be avoided?
1. Chapter 1

Hey okay so this is my Dramione fanfic and, don't worry, I know it's not perfect but hey ho.

Please read and review.

**Disclaimer; I did not (sadly) create the wonderful world of Harry Potter. All credit to JKR for the ideas of Harry Potter etc. **

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Hermione ducked as another spell came her way and tried to keep running. The Death Eaters were pursuing her and slowly catching up as she ran down the darkened tunnels of the dungeons. She _had_ to get to the Great Hall to find Harry and Ron. She had lost them when Voldemort's personal army first began to break the barriers set up by the Aurors and professors. She heard the Death Eaters shouting at her, cursing her. She knew if they caught her, or even hit her with an Unforgivable, she'd be dead in minutes.

"Mudblood bitch!" one of them shouted. Hermione realised it was Yaxley and ran faster.

She cast a Protego charm around herself, finally reaching the staircase that led to the ground floor. Tears cascaded down her face and were brushed away quickly. As she made her way up the stairs Hermione heard Yaxley and his companion right behind her.

She had run from Voldemort for almost half of her life and she was getting tired of it. Hermione was sick of running; running from Voldemort, running from Death Eaters, running from her friends, running from her family. She'd lied to everyone for the past seven years and she knew she couldn't take it much longer.

She reached the ground floor and dashed to the Great Hall but to her dismay she couldn't see Ron or Harry anywhere. Hermione was getting desperate now and she saw no one that she knew. That was until there came a cry from behind her.

"Hermione!" it was Harry. "Hermione, come on!"

She turned round to see Harry battered and bloody with Yaxley unconscious at his feet. She sped towards his outstretched arms and into his embrace.

"I've been looking for you for hours, Hermione, I was worried sick," he whispered into her hair.

A wave of guilt hit the witch. She had purposely left Harry and Ron to fend for themselves in the first hours of the battle, the brunette had needed space and time to think. Think what she was going to do. Think if she was actually going to fight. Think of who she was prepared to die for. When she had cleared her mind slightly, that was when Yaxley had begun chasing her.

She didn't want to hurt Harry or Ron in the slightest, but she couldn't bear to be around them anymore. She visibly winced when one of them told her how much they loved her or how they would not have made it past first year without her. She could not take it anymore. Hermione could not deal with the fact, in the war; one of them could have been killed within an instant, ripped from life and torn from her. She did not want to have her heart shredded so she began to distance herself; telling herself that she did not care for them. She had realised a long time ago that she needed to take care of herself before she saved anyone else's life. Hermione had come to realise that she was selfish and heartless - cold to the bone, void of all caring emotion. The small bushy-haired girl was no longer her; she left that behind years ago.

"Well, you've found me now," she said weakly.

Harry released his hold on Hermione and looked at her, his emerald green eyes meeting her chocolate brown ones. "I need to find Voldemort," he said suddenly, "I need to be the one to kill him. Ron's gone to find Ginny to make sure she leaves the castle; I want you to try and find him. You fight better when you're together."

He turned on his heel and darted through the entrance hall and through the giant doors leading into the front courtyard.

A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye. The witch knew that if Harry found Voldemort; there was a eighty-five per cent chance that The Boy Who Lived would be alive no longer. Hermione did not know if she was more scared about losing Harry or the whole wizarding world being brought down to its knees by The Dark Lord.

With a slightly defeated attitude Hermione set out to find Ron. Her wand was almost cracking under her vice-like grip but she did not seem to notice. As she walked through the corridors, she noticed that most of the Death Eaters had drawn back and the remaining few were fighting numerous Aurors at once. _Good_, she thought, _I hope they rot in Azkaban where they belong._

Flashbacks hit Hermione like a train as she made her way up to the Room of Requirement. Dumbledore's Army. Umbridge. The Inquisitorial Squad. Grawp. Firenze. Christmases with the Weasley family. Slughorn's party. She stopped in her tracks, feeling faint. Hermione knew that she'd sell her soul to the Devil for her life to be like it once was, before Voldemort became more indestructible.

She sunk down onto the floor; drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. For the first time in years Hermione began to weep. She wept for Harry, for Ron, for her parents, and for her own sad existence. She brought her wand up to her head and began to contemplate how effective a Killing Curse would be if she used it on herself. The brunette shook her head. Dropping her wand on the floor, she listened to it clatter. She could never leave Harry and Ron. They needed her. They needed her more than she needed them. She could never leave them to fend for themselves. Hermione knew she had saved them numerous times and she knew that she could not give up now, not when they need her the most.

She sat on the floor for a while, looking at her Muggle watch every minute or so. Wiping the stray tears from her face she decided to get up. But she never got the chance.

"Well, well," came a drawling voice from further down the corridor, "Looks like the Mudblood's on her own... Where's Pothead and Weasel, Granger?"

Hermione Granger turned her head slightly to see Malfoy leaning against the corridor wall with the same smirk that he had had since first year. He was alone and armed but Hermione was not scared. She would never be scared of Draco Malfoy.

She almost felt sorry for Malfoy. _Almost_. He had been brainwashed into a Pureblood mind-set before he could even talk. His father was a Death Eater and had ensured that his son had followed suit. Malfoy was blackmailed into the assassination of Dumbledore. He was only seventeen, just like the rest of their year, but there he was; in Voldemort's inner circle. Hermione could not help but despise him.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she spat at him.

"Oh, I've missed you, Granger..." he said, walking towards her. "It's been no fun without you at the Manor. Do you remember when my Aunt Bellatrix tortured you? It was only a few days ago... I could have stopped that from happening, you know."

"Could you?" Hermione asked, sounding dry and bitter, "So, why didn't you?"

He crouched down next to her, brushing her wild hair out of her face and laughed as she flinched away from his touch, "I liked seeing you suffer."

Hermione spat in his face and attempted to get up and run away from her.

"Now, Granger, don't get all tetchy. I know you've missed me," she could hear the smirk in his voice, "I just thought I'd teach you a little lesson." Before she could even reach for her wand she heard Malfoy yell, "Stupefy!"

Hermione fell to the floor, and yelped as her head smacked against the stone cold ground; she immediately began to feel woozy. Before she passed out, she heard the blond wizard approach where she was lying and grabbed her feet, pulling her into the nearest empty classroom. She felt herself slipping into unconsciousness and she knew she could not do anything about it.

Hermione regained consciousness half an hour later and found herself in a darkened classroom with Malfoy watching over her. His white blond hair looked silver in the dim light and his eyes were a dark grey. The wizard didn't move for a while and continued to watch her while she became aware of her surroundings.

"Finally woke, have you? It took you long enough," he sneered.

"No thanks to you," was her response.

He moved towards her noiselessly and crouched down next to her, his hair falling into his pale, pointed face. "I'm going to make you scream out in pain tonight, Granger. I will hurt you until you lose the will to live," he told her, his expression calm and complacent.

Hermione's heart sunk. She was defenceless and alone. There was no way that the witch could protect herself from Malfoy now. "Why?" she asked him, hearing the plea in her own words.

"You're the scum of the earth. Your blood is dirty," he said. "And you're something I can never have."

"What're you talking about, Malfoy? You're not making any sense."

"Oh, but I am," he replied. "You're a smart girl, Mudblood, haven't you worked any of this out yet?"

Hermione shook her head.

Malfoy smiled at her, "You're the cleverest student in our year and the most attractive woman I've ever seen. I want you. I've thought that since first year, but father would disown me if I ever said anything of my fondness towards you. So, I turned that attraction into hatred. You're friends with Pothead and Weasel; that made it much easier for me to dislike you."

Hermione looked at him in disbelief. Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy the renowned Death Eater and Muggleborn hater, was proclaiming his attraction for her. But - "That doesn't explain why you want to torture me."

He brushed his hair out of his face and looked at her, neither of them breaking the eye contact. "I want to torture you because all of this is your fault. If you'd have been a Pureblood none of this would be happening. This is entirely your fault. I could have loved you if your blood had been pure but you just had to ruin it!" He jammed his wand into the side of her neck, pressing the tip violently onto her skin.

Hermione gave a huge gasp, shocked at Malfoy's force and anger. Her head was spinning. Draco Malfoy had just proclaimed that he could have loved her if it were not for her blood status. Her life suddenly flashed before her; Malfoy kissing her, marrying her, having children with her... She shook her head, not responding to him. No, she could never think of Malfoy in that way. It was completely out of the question, and here he was; deranged and about to torture her.

"Crucio," he whispered in her ear.

The pain was unbearable for Hermione and she began to scream and writhe, begging Malfoy to stop. He continued to hold the curse over her, smirking slightly as he did. She continued to twist and shout on the floor, crying and clutching at her head, waiting for the pain to stop. After what felt like years, Malfoy released the curse and dropped down next to her. His smirk had been replaced with a look of horror.

"What have I just done?" he said hoarsely, looking at Hermione with wide eyes. He reached forward towards her, his hand shaking.

"Get away from me," she said, horror-stricken. "Just get the hell away from me."

Malfoy curled up in a ball, still shaking. He began to cry and rock himself back and forth. He seemed to be whispering, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," repeatedly.

Hermione stared at him, cradling her body to give herself some comfort, "What the hell is wrong with you?" she hissed at him.

He stopped rocking for a second and looked up at the bushy-haired girl. His silvery grey eyes were glistening with tears. "I-I don't know... I'm so sorry, I-I'm s-s-sorry!" he sobbed, choking slightly.

Hermione looked at the helpless Slytherin on the floor, wondering whether to make a run for it or to comfort him and help him. He had curled back into a ball and had, once again, begun to rock back and forth. She laid a hand on his shoulder and he flinched, drawing away from where she was stood. Malfoy turned his face away from her, hiding his tears. Hermione tried to put her hand on his shoulder again and, like the last time, he flinched. But instead of moving away from her, he stayed where he was and allowed Hermione to keep her hand on his shoulder.

When she spoke to him, her voice was significantly softer than it had previously been, "What on earth did you hurt me for? I haven't done anything wrong."

Malfoy shook violently as he cried more, "You have to forgive me, Granger. You have to. The Dark Lord wanted me to kill you, he used Legilimens on me. He knew... He knew how I felt about you. This is how he thought I could completely lose any affection for you, to prove my strength and devotion to him. He thought that if I tortured you enough that I'd become immune to feeling anything," he spat bitterly.

"So why can't you do it?" Hermione asked.

He turned his head so he as now facing her, his eyes still shining with the tears they had shed. "Because I am not a Death Eater. I don't want to be part of their sick group. I'm stronger- no... I'm better than that," he said.

Hermione was lost for words. She had always thought that Malfoy had entirely supported what Lord Voldemort had preached and practiced but here he was telling her that he agreed with none of it. His Dark Mark was slightly visible through the crisp white shirt that he was wearing and Hermione could see it twisting itself around Malfoy's forearm. She realised that her hand was still on his shoulder and removed it quickly. Before she could consider her choices, she hugged him, squeezing his torso tightly, as if she wished to squash every single horrible thing Malfoy had ever said to her out of his body. He clasped on to her arms, refusing to let go.

"Forgive me, Granger, for anything I've ever said to you while we were at Hogwarts," he pleaded, "Forgive me for what I just did, too. I want you to forgive me for everything I've ever done wrong in my life."

Hermione looked at him and shook her head, "I can't forgive you. Not yet. You've done nothing to prove that you're genuinely sorry."

Malfoy's shoulders dropped slightly and he gave a large sigh.

"Prove yourself. Fight in the battle. On our side. The right side."

He gave a hollow laugh. "Like anyone on your side would want me to fight alongside them," he said.

"They'd probably prefer that to you trying to kill them," Hermione shrugged, pulling away from him and getting up, still shaking from the Cruciatus curse he had put on her.

"Where are you going?" Malfoy asked as he realised the witch was heading towards the door on the opposite side of the unused, dark classroom.

"I'm going back to the battle," she said, plainly. "When you've sorted yourself out, you should, too. Fight for the right side, Malfoy."

He gave her a weak smile, "I will do, even if it costs me my life." Hermione opened the oak door and made her way out of the room. "Thanks, Granger. You're still annoying as shit but thank you."

Hermione nodded at Malfoy awkwardly and left.

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Okay how was that? Any good? I'm not the best at this whole writing thing so please review so I can improve it!

Chlo


	2. Chapter 2

Hey okay so this is chapter two, oooooh.

Please, please, please read and review if you can, it'd be great.

**Disclaimer; Harry Potter is not mine.**

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Hermione strode into the cafe and a strong smell of coffee hit her almost immediately. Her bushy brown hair was matted and stuck to her face due to the rain outside. The brunette had forgotten to take an umbrella with her and she could not risk using a drying charm in a place so crowded with Muggles.

In the far corner of the establishment, Hermione could see Ginny talking on the phone with an expression that reflected the utmost anger. She strode over to her friend, dodging waiters and customers alike. The youngest Weasley looked around at Hermione and her face broke into a grin.

"Look, Ron, I don't care if you and Lavender need someone to look after Alec for a night to have some 'time alone'. Ask Parvati or mum or George, or Bill and Fleur, literally ask anyone but Harry and I," the redhead said, talking into the phone which was pressed against her ear. "Hermione's here now, anyway, so please go and bug someone else." She threw the phone carelessly onto the wooden table.

Hermione sat down on the chair opposite Ginny and called the nearest waiter over, ordering three espressos for herself and, knowing the usual order, a hot chocolate for her companion. "What was Ron calling you for?" she asked. Then as an afterthought, "And when did he learn to use a 'felly-tone'?"

Ginny snorted, "Yet again, the witless wonder I have the privilege to call my brother wants me to babysit his bratty child. Oh, and I had to teach him how to use a phone because I felt it's slightly less inconspicuous in a Muggle area than sending a Patronus roaming round the country every time I need to speak to him."

Hermione sighed. Although the pain of hearing about or seeing Ron and Lavender together had subsided substantially; it still hurt her. Hermione had fallen head-over-heels for Ron before the war but the feeling had not been reciprocated. After the battle had been won, she had found Ron and Lavender entwined with each other, refusing to stop kissing. Hermione had been near suicidal after her...encounter with Malfoy; losing Fred, Remus and Tonks; and then seeing the man she thought she loved kissing someone else.

No one saw Hermione for months after the war. Countless times her friends had tried to contact her but she had not responded once. Not until she was ready to.

When Hermione Granger finally came out of mourning she immediately launched herself into a career as a Healer where she began to work her way up to becoming Head Healer at St Mungo's. The witch slowly got her life back but she was constantly haunted of her time spent with Draco Malfoy in that abandoned classroom.

"I still haven't forgiven him for having that vile child with the whiniest woman in the wizarding word," Ginny continued. "Alec's a horrible boy, so spoilt and ugly."

Hermione laughed. After having met Alec Weasley on a number of occasions she completely agreed with Ginny's views. The three-year-old had inherited most of Lavender's looks but with Ron's long nose and his height. He looked most out of place when with his paternal extended family. Alec had also, unfortunately, inherited Lavender's personality and whined for hours at a time until he got what he wanted.

"Does Ronald not think that he and Lavender should probably look after their own child? It was their fault they had the baby antichrist; no one made them have a baby!" Hermione said, she could feel her anger rising as she spoke about Ron and his new family.

The redhead sighed, "You know my opinion on this, Hermione. You know that I think you're the one who should be with my brother and not that rancid woman who's now my sister-in-law." She shuddered as she thought of Lavender Weasley as a beloved member of her family.

Suddenly, Ginny gasped. Hermione looked at the wide-eyed girl who looked like a rabbit in the headlights and tried to follow her gaze. Then it was her turn to gasp. Draco Malfoy had just entered the cafe and had begun to scout around for a table.

"Oh god, oh god, do not let Malfoy see me!" Hermione whispered, putting her head in her hands and turning a deep shade of scarlet.

Ginny looked at her incredulously, "Don't be so horrible! Draco changed sides during the war and you know that. He's actually a friend of the Holyhead Harpies manager, he comes and talks to me quite frequently when I'm in training. I'm inviting him over."

Hermione tried to stop her friend, "No, Ginny please. No-"

"DRACO!" the Weasley girl yelled.

To Hermione's horror Malfoy's voice came from behind her, "Hey, Weaslette!" She thought her ears deceived her; the Slytherin who had once ridiculed Ginny at school was now greeting her like an old friend.

Hermione sunk further into the chair, begging to Merlin that Malfoy would somehow not see her. She heard his shoes against the hard floor and she knew he was too close for her to escape now. The bushy-haired witch had not seen the man since the night of the battle and she had intended to keep it that way for as long as she possibly could. Hermione had never told anyone about the incident and had often prayed that she would never have to speak of it ever again.

"Hey, Ginny," Malfoy's drawling voice got louder as he approached the table; Merlin had his voice still not changed? "Hey- Granger..?" his voice sounded uncertain and Hermione sensed that he was as shocked as she was that they had met again.

Hermione refused to look up at him. "Hello, Malfoy," she said meekly, fidgeting in her chair.

Ginny, who was seemingly unaware of the tension between her friend and the ex-Death Eater, got up, "Right, does anyone want another drink? You'll have to give me the money, like, because I'm not made of galleons."

Malfoy nodded, asked the red-haired witch to buy him a coffee and gave her more than enough Muggle money. It appeared he has still not quite grasped the Muggle world but Hermione was slightly impressed by him even sitting in a cafe that was not owned by Pureblood wizards, but she was not going to admit that to anyone but herself.

For a few seconds they sat in unbearable silence and Hermione still had not looked at Malfoy.

"Granger," he said his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Yes?" she asked, still refusing to look him in the eye, scared that he would try and torture her like he had done years before.

"I want to thank you," Malfoy paused. "I'm pretty sure you saved my life."

Hermione raised her head and looked up at him. "I saved your life?"

Malfoy nodded earnestly, "You don't understand, Granger, I owe my life to you. I'd either be in Azkaban or dead if it wasn't for you."

Hermione remained silent; unsure of what to say.

"And," he continued, "I have no idea how to thank you."

She tried to smile, fearing it was more of a grimace but Malfoy smiled back anyway. "Oh, no," she said, blushing slightly. "You don't need to thank me."

As they fell back into another uncomfortable silence, Ginny returned with two drinks; one for herself and one for Malfoy. Hermione sat back in her chair for a moment, watching Ginny and Malfoy discuss Quidditch and the Holyhead Harpies. When had Ginny become good friends with Malfoy and why had no one told her about it. Were Harry and Ron as close to him? George? Bill and Fleur? Suddenly very angry at the thought of everyone having Draco Malfoy as a friend without even informing her of the new Gryffindor-Slytherin truce, Hermione leapt out of the chair.

"I have to go," she said abruptly, shocking Ginny and Malfoy.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked. Hermione nodded in response and began to move towards the door. "Bye, then, Hermione!"

Hermione mentally noted that Malfoy had not said goodbye to her and set off down the streets of London for Diagon Alley. She passed market stalls smelling strongly of sausages and entrances to the underground bustling with people. She had groups of teenage boys in track suits whistling at her and old couples smiling warmly as she passed them.

She saw the dark door of the Leaky Cauldron and pushed it open with a great deal of force. Hermione entered the dank room that smelt strongly of ale and moved to the back of the room, greeting a few elderly witches and wizards who praised her on her performance in the battle on the way. Through the back door, the witch walked into the small courtyard where the bins were and drew her wand, pointing it at the wall. She began to tap the brick wall with what she remembered was the correct sequence with her wand.

The wall began to move and revealed the bright street of Diagon Alley. She smiled slightly, happy to see it after so many months of being too wrapped up with her work to visit. She made her way through the groups of magic-folk until she reached the brightly coloured shop that stood out the most on the busy street; Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

Both windows on either side of the bright purple door were crammed with Weasley Wildfire Whiz-Bangs, Portable Swamps and WonderWitch products and the shop was already filled with people.

She twisted and dodged children and adults alike as she tried to find George Weasley. His bright red hair stuck out as much as any of the other Weasleys. Hermione saw him smiling at a customer - a genuine smile. She knew that George had suffered more than most after the battle, losing Fred had been like losing half of himself and Hermione knew that he blamed myself for his twin brother's death.

After the war, Hermione was closer to George than almost anyone else and had bonded through their suffering and pain. She needed him now, needed to confide in him about the incident that happened so long ago with Malfoy.

"Hermione!" George shouted as he spotted her, he scooted round his customers and greeted her with a huge bear hug. George, although shorter that Ron, Bill and Charlie was still a considerable amount taller than Hermione and rested his chin on top of her head.

"Hey, George," she said as he let her go.

He took hold of her hand. "Come on, we'll go and have a brew upstairs in my flat, Lee can look after the shop for a while," he waved to Lee Jordan and led Hermione upstairs to his rather large flat.

She made her way to her usual spot on the sofa and immediately put her feet on the coffee table as she had done countless times before. George sat next to her and swung his legs up onto Hermione's lap.

"So, what's bothering you?" Hermione gave him a look. "Oh, come on, Hermione! You don't just turn up in the middle of the day unless there's something even a little bit wrong. Have you got boy trouble? Uncle George can help you if you do," he winked at her.

Hermione sighed. She began to tell George every detail of the encounter she had with Malfoy and he did not interrupt once. "...and that's what happened," she finished.

"That evil, evil little toe rag! I can't believe he tortured you, I just can't believe it," he spat. "I'd have a mind to go and punch him in the face right now if I didn't know that you'd persuaded him to fight for us. And he just sort of thanked you for saving him when you saw him today?"

Hermione nodded. "I just needed to tell someone," she said solemnly. She took her feet off the table, pushed George's legs off her lap and crawled up to his chest and laid there, listening to him breathing softly.

"I'm glad you told me, Hermione," he said, holding her and stroking her bushy hair.

George tilted Hermione's head up so that she was looking at him and she noticed that his expression was nothing like he looked usually.

"George, are you ok-" he silenced her by pressing his lips to hers.

Hermione's mind went blank and was focused only on George. She didn't care to stop him and wished only that he had kissed her years earlier.

When they pulled apart, George grinned at her. "How was that?" he asked, sounding slightly nervous.

"Well... It was alright, I suppose," Hermione replied coyly, before pulling him in to kiss him again.

"You do realise," George said, between kisses, "that I've fancied you since you were in fourth year, right?"

Hermione giggled, "No, I haven't. I was a little preoccupied with Viktor Krum that year," she said.

George pulled away again, holding her around the waist. "Oh, that's right. I remember that, now," he said. "I saw you practically every day of every month for five years while we were both at Hogwarts but you never noticed me unless I was selling Puking Pastilles to first years or making ageing potions with Fred."

"I'm sorry I never fancied you," Hermione laughed. Her head was spinning: Ron's older brother had liked her since she was in her fourth year and now, there she was, in his apartment, kissing him.

He grinned at her, "You're forgiven."

George pulled Hermione's leg over him and began to kiss her again, his hands running down her back.

"Do you think we should be doing this?" she asked, slightly concerned that they were destroying their friendship bit by bit.

"Not at all," George said before pulling her back towards him, "but then again, I don't care."

Suddenly, George stopped and lifted Hermione off him. He got up and took her hand, as he had done when they were in the shop. He pulled her up and led her to his bedroom...

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How was that? Any good? Let me know in your reviews!

Thanks, Chlo


	3. Chapter 3

Hey okay sorry it's taken so long to update! I've been struggling with my first a-level exams and the stress of results day but I'm back now!

**Disclaimer; Harry Potter still isn't mine.**

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Hermione awoke with a sharp stabbing pain in the back of her skull. She rolled her eyes. She was used to headaches now. She got them so frequently after the war that she hardly even noticed them anymore. Hermione had given up with petty Muggle painkillers and had entirely deserted her attempts of trying to get rid of the headaches with magic. As Head Healer at St Mungo's, she thought she would be able to perform healing spells on her head but, to her dismay, there were no spells to cure something as simple as head pain.

Hermione rolled over and rubbed her eyes until she was able to see clearly. Her heart stopped. George Weasley was lying next to her, still asleep. Panic immediately began to set in. George was in the same bed as her and, up until that point, Hermione had completely forgotten what had happened the day before. She looked under the duvet cautiously and gave out a small yelp as she realised neither of them were clothed.

The yelp startled the sleeping George and he jumped up, now half-awake, "Wozgoinon?" he mumbled.

Hermione looked at George, whose eyes had still not fully opened. "Hey, George," she said weakly.

She watched as his eyes focused on her and he turned a shade of red that rivalled his hair. "Oh, er, hey..." he replied.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing, "George, what're we doing?" she asked him.

George shrugged, smiling. "I'm not entirely sure, Hermione," he said. "I still fancy you though, if that changes anything," he continued with a wink.

Hermione giggled before shaking her head, she couldn't keep sleeping with people for no reason. She knew she needed something more than that but every time she got remotely close to a man, she got scared. But she knew she could never have anything with George. It would entirely ruin their friendship and she knew it.

In the past few years, Hermione had slept with more people than she cared to count. It did not embarrass her, but it saddened her. She was nearing twenty four and was still hung up on a man who she had liked since she was in her sixth year. George had been her best friend for years and she was not going to ruin that with a short-lived romance.

"We can't do this again," Hermione said firmly. "It was great and everything but-"

George sighed. "But you can't do it again because you're scared of any emotional commitment and I'm not Ron, I'm just a shit, older version of him," he said harshly.

Hermione winced at his words. "It's nothing to do with Ron," she shot back. "You're nothing like Ron, I don't see him in you at all, alright? I'm just not emotionally ready for anything."

"Emotionally ready?!" he hissed. "What the hell are you ready for, Hermione?"

She shook her head, "George, please don't get angry at me, it's not going to help anything, okay? No - listen to me for once. I don't regret what we did but if it were to continue I'd lose you as a friend," she watch as George's face softened slightly. "Keeping you as a friend means more to me than some crappy relationship ever will do, you complete moron."

George's face broke out into his usual grin and he kissed the top of her head. It had taken George months to even so much as smile, let alone grin or laugh. Hermione knew how Fred's death has affected George. He'd lost half of himself, his partner in crime, his best friend and his reason for smiling. Fred and George had never been apart for longer than an hour at the most and the shock of losing Fred completely left him near suicidal. It had taken Hermione years to convince George of how happy his twin would be in death, more peaceful. She had even joked that he had probably met the Marauders and had been taken in as the replacement fourth member, Hermione had also managed to convince him that Fred would be well looked after, with Lily to take care of him as Molly had done for years with Harry.

"So, _friend, _I think that we should probably put some clothes on," he laughed. "I promise I won't look at you if you get out of bed."

Hermione looked at him and raised one eyebrow. George sighed and covered his eyes with his hands. She waited until she knew for sure that he could not see and got out of bed, picking her clothes up that had been strewn across the room as she made her way to the bathroom.

As Hermione got dressed she began to think of the conversation her and George had had the day before. She had not asked him if he was friends with Malfoy or if he knew of the friendship between the ferret and Ginny. Hermione also realised that the one thing she had not told George was how Malfoy had confessed he had feelings for her on the night of the battle and was debating whether to tell her red-headed friend.

She exited the bathroom to find George fully-clothed and making the bed. His room, unlike the shop downstairs, was neat and orderly. The walls were painted magnolia and the only colour that existed within the room was an emerald green cushion on the bed.

He guided her to the kitchen and, after having breakfast laughing and joking with each other, they went downstairs to the shop, where Lee had already opened up.

Weasley Wizard Wheezes was as busy as any other day, full of witches and wizards of every age. She saw a few Muggle enthusiasts who were friends with Arthur Weasley gathered round the Muggle jokes, gaping in awe at the deck of cards, waiting for it to explode like Exploding Snap cards did.

Hermione looked around to see children laughing and giggling with their friends while their parents tried to drag them away from the colourful buckets and toys.

"Before you leave, do I get a goodbye kiss?" George asked, smirking slightly. "Not a goodbye as in 'I'll see you tomorrow' but a goodbye as in 'we won't be sleeping together anymore so you should give me a kiss anyway'."

She smiled and sighed, "Oh for god's sake, George..." she looked at his smirking face. "Fine," she agreed.

He leant forward and kissed her, his hands around her waist. As he pulled away, the smirk was back on his face. "That was...good," he said.

"Well, it was satisfactory," it was Hermione's turn to smirk.

She said her goodbyes to George and made her way to the door of the shop. The witch saw Ron glaring at her, his jaw set and his arms crossed. Hermione's heart began racing. What did Ron look so annoyed for? She walked over to where he was stood to see Lavender stood to the side of him and Alec attached to her leg. Lavender's pretty face was distorted slightly with the scars she had received from Fenrir Greyback in the battle but she smiled warmly as Hermione came over.

Before Hermione had even had chance to say hello, she was greeted with, "What the hell are you doing with my brother?" Ron asked, turning red in the face.

Hermione felt her cheeks go pink, knowing what Ron had just seen. She decided to act confused, "Doing what?"

Ron's eyes narrowed, "You know bloody well what," he snapped. "I saw you over there snogging my brother. What've you been doing upstairs? Fucking?" Alec gasped at his father's choice of language and was scooted away by Lavender who gave Ron a very scathing look as she walked away with her son.

Hermione took a sharp intake of breath and closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. "Yes, actually, I did sleep with George," she bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at Ron's reaction.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?!" Ron bellowed at her, causing heads to turn in the shop, parents and children alike. "YOU'VE SLEPT WITH MY BROTHER."

Hermione winced slightly as Ron shouted at her. "What does it matter to you, anyway?" she replied meekly.

The red headed man's face dropped and his cheeks turned crimson, "I-er-I-I..."

"You have nothing to shout and scream about, Ronald. George and I are perfectly capable of making our own decisions and we're a hell of a lot closer than you and me ever were. If you're jealous because I never slept with you then you have yourself to blame for that because I waited years for you. It's not my fault that you're in an unhappy marriage because you couldn't help but get Lavender pregnant. And now you can't leave her, despite not loving her, because you have Alec together. So don't you dare throw your toys out of the pram because I slept with George and enjoyed it," she saw Ron visibly shudder at the last part, giving her a sense of bitter accomplishment.

It was in that moment that Hermione realised she no longer had feelings of any kind for Ron. She did not like the man he had grown to be and it was clear to her that he was a waste of her time as anything more than a friend.

"Goodbye, Ron. I'll see you at Harry and Ginny's wedding in a few days so please don't bother to cause any problems there, I doubt your sister or your mother would like it very much if you began shouting at me in the middle of the church," Hermione scooted past the still crimson faced Ron and made her way to the door.

She left the joke shop seething. How dare Ron talk to her in that way! How dare he think that he had some control over her life! She sighed at the thought of Harry and Ginny's wedding. She had no clue who was even invited other than the Weasley clan. Hermione thought that the Dursleys and the Tonks' may have received her invite but she was not even sure about that.

With a huff, she made her way to the apparition point in Diagon Alley. Hermione had yet to buy a dress for the wedding, despite it only being three days away. She arrived with a pop at the end of Oxford Street in the busy Central London. She hunted high and low for a dress shop and came across a huge department shop with four floors.

Heading to the designer section of the shop, the witch set about finding a dress that suited her. Ginny had stressed to her that she was not allowed to wear wizarding robes as her and Harry wanted their wedding to be muggle dress, magic was to be forgotten for their special day.

Hermione ran her fingers across the clothes hung up; satin, cotton, suede and chiffon fabrics swaying as her hands brushed past them.

She looked around to see if she could find anything when she spotted a wizard across the shop with platinum blond hair. Hermione ducked down hoping that Draco Malfoy wouldn't see her. What was he doing here, shopping in a muggle store?

"Granger... What are you doing?" Malfoy asked, crouching down next to her with a confused expression on his pale face.

The brunette felt herself redden in the face. "Oh, I..er..dropped my wand," she said. "But I've got it now!" she added awkwardly as an afterthought.

Malfoy smiled at Hermione. It was an odd sight for Hermione as she'd never seen Malfoy do anything more than sneer or frown. His hair fell down into his stormy eyes and he brushed it back into place, it reminded Hermione of the muggle actor in the 70s version of The Great Gatsby. He stood up straight and held a hand out to help Hermione up. She took his cold hand and struggled to her feet.

Malfoy looked at her for a second, "So what're you looking for?" he inquired.

"Trying to find a dress for a wedding, I can't believe I've left it so last minute but with work at the hospital it's just been hard to find time," she sighed, confused as to why she was bothering to bore Draco Malfoy with her mundane life, and even more confused as to why he'd bothered to ask in the first place.

His eyes widened, "Oh Merlin! I have a wedding to go to, too, I completely forgot about that for a second."

Hermione's stomach lurched. Surely Malfoy wouldn't be invited to the wedding... "Whose wedding are you going to, Malfoy?"

"Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley's... I presume you're also attending?" he smiled again, looking vaguely hopeful.

"Yes I am," she returned the smile. "I didn't realise you were quite so close to Harry and Ginny," Hermione remarked.

Malfoy looked relatively surprised with Hermione's comment, "Ginny and I became friends due to the amount of times I was at the Holyhead Harpies when she was. I'm less close to Harry but I still consider him as a friend... We've managed to move past our schoolboy issues," he added coyly.

Hermione laughed, "Oh, I'm glad you've finally moved past hating each other."

Malfoy smirked, "Well, Granger, I'll leave you to your shopping. Unless you need any help trying stuff on," he winked. "I will see you at the wedding."

They said their goodbyes and Malfoy made his way to the men's section and continued with his shopping.

Hermione returned home with bags filled with shoes, dresses and jewellery. As she put her new stuff away she thought about Malfoy attending the same wedding as her. She was still shocked as how easy she found it to talk to him due to them having cleared the air the previous day.

When she turned in for the night, Hermione was still thinking about Malfoy. That night, she dreamt of the blond wizard dancing with her at the wedding. The dream twisted and suddenly Malfoy was holding her hair with a knife blade at her throat.

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How was that? Any better than the last? Please review, it'd mean a lot!

Thanks! Chlo


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so this chapter is the wedding/wedding party (the first half of it anyway). Enjoy!

**Disclaimer; Harry Potter isn't (unfortunately) mine.**

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"Hermione! I need help with my dress!" Ginny shouted from her room at the Burrow.

It was the day of the wedding and Ginny was becoming more intolerable as the minutes went by. Hermione realised that Ginny hadn't been quite as calm about the wedding as she had let on previously.

"Hermione, hurry up, you bitch!" Ginny screamed. Hermione could hear the panic in the woman's voice.

Upon entering the room, Hermione found Ginny stood at the window with her white dress half fastened and her face as red as her hair.

"Help me."

Hermione tried her best to smile encouragingly at her friend, "Come on, we'll get you into this dress and then sort your hair and makeup out."

Tears began to fall from Ginny's eyes, "Thank you. Everything's really stressing me out today. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hermione began to lace up Ginny's dress without using magic, sticking with the no-magic rule of the wedding. The dress was relatively simple and stark white, it covered Ginny's pale arms with delicate lace and made her bright red hair stand out against the whiteness of her complexion and dress.

As Hermione did Ginny's hair and makeup, the younger witch appeared to calm down considerably.

"Are you sure Harry wants to marry me?" Ginny asked, her voice had an unmistakable tone of uncertainty in it.

"Ginny, are you an absolute idiot? Of course Harry wants to marry you, he loves you more than anything in this world and you know that. He went to face Voldemort, prepared to die for you, he waited for years to propose to you to make sure you were completely ready for marriage! He wants to marry you more than anything else in this world!" Ginny tried to hug her friend but was stopped by a hand, "No, don't hug me, you'll ruin your hair and your makeup. It's taken me ages to get it perfect. Hug me later." Ginny laughed.

Hermione helped Ginny down the narrow, winding stairs of the Burrow into the kitchen where most of the Weasley family were stood, packed into the room like sardines in a tin.

"Oh, Ginevra!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, her eyes watering. "You look beautiful!"

The Weasley family swarmed around Ginny, all welling up and calling her beautiful. Ginny smiled at everyone, her hair falling around her shoulders effortlessly and her white lace dress clung to her waist then flowed elegantly to the floor.

Mr Weasley looked at his daughter, positively beaming at her, "You look simply radiant!" he exclaimed, not crying like the rest of his family but looking as proud as he could possibly be. "Now, do you know if Harry's aunt and uncle are coming? I have some very important questions to ask them about how those muggle aeroplanes stay up."

Ginny laughed and hugged her father, "Thanks dad and, yes, the Dursleys are coming. Please make sure you don't frighten them too much, they've still not recovered from the fireplace incident."

George caught Hermione's eye and grinned at her. He waltzed over to her, dodging his relatives like it was second nature to him. "Well hello, Hermione. Am I allowed to say how absolutely stunning you look today?"

She chuckled, "Well, seeing as your jealous arsehole of a younger brother isn't here, I think you are allowed."

"Ah, yes I saw that the other day in the shop. I may or may not have performed a Bat Bogey Hex on him as he left the shop," he winked. "But I must say you look amazing," he added casually.

Hermione blushed slightly. She had made a huge effort to look good for the wedding, and made sure that her makeup and hair were simple and elegant. Hermione was wearing a short dress, the colour of a pink rose. The dress clung to her figure and revealed a small bit of cleavage. Ginny had allowed her to choose her own dress as she was the only bridesmaid that the young witch was having.

"Right, well, I'm off to the church now!" he said, looking at his watch. He hugged Hermione before turning to his family who were still flocking round Ginny and shouted, "RIGHT, YOU LOT, I WANT EVERYONE OUT OF THIS ROOM UNLESS YOU ARE MY MUM, MY DAD OR A BRIDESMAID!"

The Weasley family began to file out of the room, wishing Ginny good luck as they left.

"What time are we leaving, mum?" Ginny asked Mrs Weasley.

"In about half an hour, dear," Mrs Weasley smiled warmly and started making finishing touches to Ginny's dress, despite her daughter's protests.

They arrived at the church late due to the amount of fussing Mrs Weasley did, panicking about the dress and making sure Ginny's hair was perfect, going over it again and again with magic.

Hermione smiled as she walked with Mrs Weasley behind Ginny and Mr Weasley, knowing that no one was even acknowledging her as all eyes were on the bride.

People were gasping in awe as the red headed witch walked past them, down the aisle towards Harry. Hermione looked at Harry and Ron, who of course was his best man, and saw as their jaws dropped as they saw Ginny.

Grinning, Hermione sat down next to Mr and Mrs Weasley and watched the ceremony.

She thanked Merlin that the service was relatively short, with no hymns. Everyone whooped and clapped as Harry kissed his new wife.

"To the reception!" Ginny shouted, receiving cheers from everyone.

When they arrived at the reception, Hermione heard Luna Lovegood gasp behind her, "Oh it's beautiful!" the dirty blonde haired witch exclaimed. She was dressed all in yellow as she had done for Bill and Fleur's wedding and had Rolf Scamander stood next to her, their hands intertwined.

Hermione agreed, the venue that the Potter's had chosen was jaw-dropping. The building was castle-like and medieval. It was clear that the newly-weds had spared no expense with any aspect of their wedding.

The crowd went in groups of three and four through the front doors and 'ooh's and 'aah's could be heard every time a new group entered the building.

"Hello again, Hermione," George said as he linked his arm with Hermione's. She could smell alcohol on his breath, "Wonderful ceremony, don't you think?"

"...Yes I thought so," Draco Malfoy appeared at Hermione's other side but, unlike George, he did not link up with her. He too smelt of alcohol but the smell was considerably stronger from Draco than it had been from George. "Wonderful ceremony, truly beautiful. Odd to do it without any magic at all, where were all the wizarding trad-tradish-traditions?"

George's face had visibly hardened at the sight of Malfoy and steered Hermione away from him and through the crowd, into the hall. The friends both gasped as they saw the inside of the venue.

Gold and silver streamers covered the entire ceiling, extravagant ice sculptures were dotted around the room, tables were beautiful mahogany and the head table was complete with miniature fireworks that didn't seem to stop.

Hermione snorted, "Typical... They don't even stick to their own no-magic rule," she gestured to the fireworks.

George grinned at the use of the fireworks, they were a special product him and Lee Jordan had been working on in the shop when they had the time.

Hermione kissed George on the cheek and went to find her seat at the high table. She heard someone shout, "Granger!" and when she turned to see who it was, Hermione was confused to see that it was Malfoy vying for her attention.

"Yes?"

Malfoy managed a small smile, "I just wanted to tell you that you look beautiful today." He bowed his head and wandered off to find his own table, staggering slightly. Hermione decided that he was drunk and rolled her eyes before taking her place at the high table.

Once everyone was seated correctly, Ron walked through the doors. "It is my pleasure to present to you the new Mr and Mrs Potter! Please stand for the bride and groom," he asked, walking over to the high table, standing next to Hermione - much to her discomfort.

Everyone rose as Harry and Ginny walked through the doors, arm in arm, beaming at everyone they looked at.

"To the bride and groom!" Ron shouted, raising his champagne glass in the air. The guests followed suit and then took their seats once more.

"Congratulations, you two!" Hermione shouted across Ron to Harry and Ginny. They smiled excitedly and thanked her before turning to talk to Mr and Mrs Weasley.

Ron turned to face her, "So, fucked any more of my brothers since last time I saw you?"

Hermione's temper flared. "Not that it's any of your business no I haven't," she said as calmly as she could manage.

"Are you sure? I mean, Charlie's still available-"

Hermione cut him off, "How dare you! I'm entitled to sleep with whoever I want to and I certainly won't be shamed for sleeping with your brother." She watched him glare at her. "I wanted to be civil with you today, Ronald, even friends, but that's clearly not what you want."

Time ran slowly as Hermione endured Ron's company through dinner and the speeches. She thought about trying to make conversation with him but decided against it. What right did that man think he had to insult her and attempt to shame her?

When the music began for the first dance, Hermione stood up quickly and moved towards the dance floor in the middle of the room, far away from Ron, to watch Harry and Ginny dance together.

Hermione smiled to herself as Harry and Ginny spun round the floor, the skirts of the red headed witch's dress fanning out across the wooden panels. Harry stumbled slightly and laughed with his new wife before pulling her closer and lifting her off her feet for a moment.

As the next song came on more people began to take to the dance floor.

"Would you like to dance with me?" Hermione turned round to see Dean Thomas with his hand outstretched towards her. "It's been a while since I've seen you."

The witch nodded and took Dean's hand. For a while they chatted idly, laughing about their time at Hogwarts and their experience in Dumbledore's Army. As they circled the dance floor, Hermione saw a number of people she recognised. Neville and Hannah Longbottom, Ernie MacMillan, Luna and Rolf Scamander, Seamus, Andromeda and Ted Tonks and, to Hermione's surprise, the Dursleys. Dudley appeared to have a female with him and Hermione smiled at him, grateful that Harry's family had cared just enough to attend the wedding.

The song changed again and Dean said his goodbyes to Hermione, kissing her hand as he left.

George was dancing with a Holyhead Harpies chaser and appeared to be getting rather close to her, Hermione broke out into a grin, watching her best friend attempt to impress a girl with his questionable dance moves.

It was then that Hermione saw Malfoy sat alone at a table, looking slightly more sober and rather uncomfortable with his surroundings. She felt herself drawn to him, questioning herself as to why he looked so alone and awkward in a room filled with people.

"Malfoy? Are you alright?" she asked as she reached his table.

He looked up at her, seemingly shocked to being paid any attention. "Oh- yes. I'm quite alright, Granger, not that it's anything to do with you." His tone was bitter and resentful.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, ignoring his rude manner.

Malfoy sighed, "No one wants to be seen near me. I'm an ex-Death Eater and half of the people in this room still see me as one. I only wanted to come to support Ginny, but I shouldn't have even bothered turning up. It's been an utter waste of my time and only been remotely bearable due to the amount alcohol I've consumed."

Hermione said nothing.

"I'm not a Death Eater anymore. Why can't people see that?" he continued. "Do you still see me as one of them? I wouldn't blame you."

She shook her head and sat down next to him. "No, I don't. You've moved past that. I still don't entirely forgive you for what you did to me. You know what you did was wrong and you've changed. If people can't see that then you're wasting your time here. You're a good person, Malfoy."

Before Hermione could stop him, Malfoy had leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, "Thank you. I don't entirely believe that I'm a good person but I'm trying my bloody hardest to be one." Hermione smiled at him. "Dance with me."

Malfoy took Hermione's hand and pulled her up towards the dance floor despite her protests. He rested his hand on the small of her back and pressed his body against hers as they started to dance. As they waltzed round the floor Hermione saw Ron, red-faced with anger as he watched her and Malfoy dance together.

"Why's Weasley looking so miserable?" Malfoy asked nodding towards where Ron was stood.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I haven't the slightest idea," she sighed, receiving a puzzled look from her dancing partner. "I don't really speak to Ron all that much now... He's busy with his new family and, well, frankly he's an arse."

Malfoy laughed, whether due to alcohol or him finding what Hermione had said genuinely funny she had no clue. "Why the change in opinion of him? I expected to see you married to him after the war, but here you are...single and having a rather apparent dislike for him."

She sighed again, "I thought I'd be married to him too. I always got the impression that he liked me but when I tried to find him at the celebrations at Hogwarts after the fight had finished his mouth was attached to Lavender's." The memory used to make her sad, wanting to crawl back into her shell but Hermione now realised that Ron had been a waste of time for most of her school life. "I'm definitely happier single than I ever would've been if I'd have married that idiot."

They fell into silence, holding each other close and circling the dance floor.

The music came to an end and Hermione realised that she had been dancing with Malfoy for five songs. She pulled away from him suddenly very aware of how close they had been stood.

"It was nice to talk to you, Granger."

"It was nice to talk to you, too, Malfoy," Hermione replied, genuinely meaning what she had said.

Malfoy stepped closer to her. "I'm still so sorry for what I did to you," he whispered in her ear. He kissed her pale cheek and walked away, disappearing into the crowd of dancers.

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How was that? Any better than the last? Please review and follow it'd really mean a lot!

Chlo


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! I'm so so so sorry it's taken me this long to update I'm useless. I've had too many mocks and bits of coursework to worry about lately and I feel really bad for not updating in so long. Anyway! Here's chapter five, please read and review!

**Disclaimer; Harry Potter still isn't mine and belongs to the lovely JKR.**

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Hermione was left dumbfounded by Malfoy. She raised a hand to her already flushing cheek and stood, unmoving, in the middle of the dance floor. Hermione looked around but saw no sign of the blond wizard. Instead, she saw George shooting her a worried look. She smiled at him hoping it would stop him from looking at her like she was a pathetic child.

Hermione went and sat down at a table on her own in the far corner of the room. Feeling a headache beginning to develop, she took some painkillers out of her bag and washed them down her throat with water.

How many times was the man going to say sorry to her? Malfoy had left Hermione feeling utterly confused. She did not understand whether he was apologising for his actions, or how much he had hurt her, or both. Malfoy apologising only brought back memories for Hermione. She remembered how she had curled up into a ball in the Prefects Bathroom that night, after finding its door ajar upon leaving the abandoned classroom in which he had tortured her. She had laid next to the huge bath for hours, not having enough energy to move or even cry.

Hermione shook her head and repressed the thoughts of the war, already feeling tears in her eyes. She got up and circled the room in search for Malfoy. Hermione needed to tell the man that he could not keep telling her how sorry he was. She had done her best to push the battle to the back of her mind and with Malfoy bringing it up every time he saw her; she found it increasingly difficult to keep the memories at bay.

She came across him at the bar at the back of the room. Malfoy had a line of small shot glasses lined up next to him, each a different colour from the next. Iridescent blue; blood orange; fuchsia; emerald. Hermione watched as his threw the brightly coloured drinks down his neck, one after another. The wizard turned to her and gave her a lopsided smile. She rolled her eyes in return.

"Hellooooooooo, Graaangerrrr!" he slurred, struggling to keep his eyes focused on Hermione.

"Malfoy," she said curtly.

Malfoy sighed, "Oh, come onnnnn, Hermy. Don't be like that! Come and have a drink. I quite enjoy your presence when I'm intoxicated."

Hermione snorted, '_when I'm intoxicated'_ , that would be the only time he would ever fully enjoy her presence. She realised that would be the only time that they could tolerate each other fully.

She allowed him to buy her a glass of white wine and sat down next to him on the stark white barstool. She quickly imbibed the wine and immediately ordered another one, Hermione knew that she would not be able to tolerate Malfoy's presence for more than a few minutes if she did not begin drinking at the same rate he did.

Hermione began to drink more than she cared to remember. Malfoy patted her on the back encouragingly every time she ordered another drink. It was not long before she too was relatively intoxicated.

Hermione looked round the room, the world now blurring into misshapen objects and bright lights. She saw George kissing the chaser he had been with all night on the dance floor, his gangly arms wrapped around the girl's waist. She saw Ron and Lavender squabbling at a nearby table with both of them red in the face. She saw Harry and Ginny stood entwined with each other and she began to wonder if she would ever be happy and in love. Sure, she had liked Ron; she had convinced herself that Ron was the one for her. Hermione now realised that she was in love with the idea of being in love, she never really had any attraction to the man, just the idea of a relationship.

The brunette witch turned to look at Malfoy. He was sat with his posture as perfect as always, even in his drunken stupor; his grey eyes were twinkling slightly as they reflected the light coming from the candles and miniature fireworks around the room; his blond hair which used to be slicked back fell into his face and he brushed it to the side with a pale, long hand. Hermione found herself looking at his hands, his shirt, his eyes, his hair, and came to the realisation that Malfoy had grown into an attractive twenty-something year old.

He snickered. "Enjoying the view, Granger?" she felt her cheeks start to burn up.

"No," she replied.

"I wouldn't blame you if you said you were; I'm enjoying my view…" he said, allowing his eyes to wander down her body.

She knew that without the influence of alcohol running through her body she would have snapped at Malfoy, been angry at him in some way, but she was drunk and getting drunker by the minute. Hermione smirked at Malfoy, sending him a message somewhere along the lines of '_well if you weren't enjoying the view there'd be something wrong'_.

In the few chance meetings that they had had, Hermione had come to realise that Draco was a reformed character; he was nowhere near the budding Death Eater that he once was. She had read articles in the Daily Prophet about him helping alter the minds of muggle families who had been tortured by Voldemort's followers and setting up charities to stop prejudice towards muggleborns. She saw it in his face that he was not capable of harm anymore. The war had done its damage on Draco in a different way to Hermione; his eyes were empty and he looked hurt or abandoned when he thought no one was looking. Hermione's life had almost been taken from her and it had made her thankful for every day that she lived. Draco had also nearly died in the war, but it seemed to have made him guilt-ridden and full of regret.

Hermione noticed that, although he was most definitely not her first choice of company by any means, she did not mind being in Malfoy's company. At school he had made her life hell due to his constant and relentless bullying and he had tried to torture her during the battle but Hermione remembered that Malfoy had not given her, Ron and Harry up to his father and his psychotic aunt and she recalled of the Prophet articles of him selling out many of his former Death Eater comrades up to the Wizengamot for interrogation.

She felt drawn to him: not because she liked him, per se, but she was interested in him. His was the polar opposite of her in almost every way she could think of. He was manipulative, cowardly at times, and dependent on others. Hermione wasn't capable of manipulating those close to her, was so brave it nearly killed her in battle, and was completely self-sufficient.

She looked at him again to see him attempting to focus his eyes on the drinks menu in front of him.

"I will have a Jagerbomb, good sir," he announced to the barman.

"I'm surprised you know what that is," Hermione laughed.

Malfoy gave her a scathing look, "What? You think because I'm a pureblood I don't know anything about muggle drinks?" he demanded.

"No actually, it's because you seem the sort to only drink port or whiskey, I didn't once think I was questioning your knowledge of the muggle world," she shot back.

"Oh…" Malfoy said, ducking his head in embarrassment for jumping to conclusions.

They fell into silence, drinking their alcohol and watching the rest of the wedding guests move around the dance floor, or going to say their well-wishes to the bride and groom.

Allowing herself to sink further in to her drunken stupor she began to think of what Malfoy had said earlier about being sorry for what he did to her. The more he brought it up around her, the more intolerable he became to be. She had tried to completely move on and with Malfoy there to remind her of the night every single time they saw each other it had become almost impossible.

"Malfoy," she slurred, dragging his attention away from the hoard of people dancing. "Why-why do you keep apologising for what you did to me?"

Even with the drink distorting his mind he still flinched away from her as she asked the question. "Bec-hic-because I will never forgive myself."

Hermione looked away as his eyes began to water, not wanting to embarrass the Slytherin.

"I confessed my feelings for you and then tortured you, blaming you for your blood status," he hiccoughed.

Hermione blushed visibly at the mention of Malfoy's apparent feelings for her.

"Of course, those feelings are long gone," he said, his cheeks rivalling the shade of red of Hermione's skin.

She nodded. "Well that's good," she said weakly.

He turned to face her properly. Malfoy got off his chair and pulled the witch off of hers, closer to him, "Well...not entirely gone." They were stood with his face inches away from hers.

"What're you-"

Hermione was cut off when Malfoy pressed his lips to hers. He put his hand on her back and pushed her body against his. His other hand moved to the back of her head, his fingers tangling themselves in her hair. To her utmost shame, Hermione hadn't even tried to pull away. She bit his lip softly and even smirked when he groaned quietly in response.

Hermione pulled away, swaying slightly where she stood. She looked at the intoxicated Malfoy and saw him smirking at her.

Malfoy brushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, struggling to focus on her face properly. "God you're attractive, Granger."

The realisation of what they had just done hit Hermione, clearing her foggy, drunken mind. "I have to leave, Malfoy."

She turned and walked quickly away from the blond wizard at the bar before he had chance to protest, hot tears falling down her face. How could she be so stupid? Why did she allow that to happen? She didn't have any feelings for Malfoy and it certainly was not the way to give a good impression to someone she used to hate.

Hermione almost ran when she saw her ginger haired friend sat at a table with his brothers.

"George," she said, making him turn around to look at her.

His face dropped slightly, "Hermione are you alright?" he asked. "Why the hell are you crying?"

"I need to talk to you. Now."

"Oh, going off for another quick shag, are we?" Ron asked, loudly. He smirked at the hurt expression Hermione gave him. Bastard, Hermione thought.

The witch straightened her back and wiped away the tears in an over-exaggerated manner to show Ron her current state. "No, Ronald, your brother and I are not going for another 'quick shag', but thank you for your concern. Maybe if you didn't pay so much attention to whom I may or may not be sleeping with, you might try and make your unhappy marriage work." She walked away, pulling George with her. She smiled despite herself as she heard the remaining Weasley brothers gasp at her comment.

Hermione pulled George outside, managing to successfully avoid Malfoy on the way.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" George asked, holding both of her upper arms in his hands.

The brunette sighed. "I mayhavekissedDracoMalfoy," she muttered.

"Sorry: what?"

"I may have kissed Draco Malfoy," Hermione ducked her head in shame, waiting for George to flip out.

George laughed, "For a second there I thought you just said that you kissed Draco Malfoy."

Hermione looked at her friend, half wincing and half smiling at him. "I kind of did, George."

* * *

Thanks for reading guys! Please review, it would mean an awful lot to me if you did!

Chlo


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